Miles upon miles, it’s a long walk to water.

Beads of sweat, slide and drip.

Throats parched, sun blisters on feet.

Headaches attacking, lips cracking.

But we must go on. We have to.

A terrible drought has just begun.

We finally get to a narrow stream.

The stagnant waters are filthy, every shade of black, brown and green. 

It’s sickening, repulsive, it feels so wrong.

But what’s more appalling, is that our lives depend on it.

Yes, the men, women, the old and young.

We scoop the murky waters in huge plastic buckets till they are all full.

The truth is bitter, but the sooner we accept it the better.

This is what we will drink. Drink so we can work. Work so we can harvest.

Harvest so we can live.

Our people are falling sick, our crops are shrivelling.

It’s killing us gradually, but we need it to survive.

Our plants are withering. 

Cells collapsing, stem thinning, roots decaying.

Gone is the faintest sign of green and moisture,

They lay lifeless, naked and bare.

Dried up and exhausted.

Shrivelled beyond repair.

They were supposed to be the backbone of all existence,

A source of hope and life for humanity.

They were supposed to stay strong and feed our people,

They weren't supposed to die.

The fires rage like an angry pack of wolves.

Tearing through the night, consuming all in its path

Defiant, incessant, pure evil.

They swallow our crops whole, our livestock and people tremble at their mercy.

We gape in horror as the community we laboured so hard to build,

Burn to crisp, before our eyes.

They can’t be quenched.

They can’t be stopped.

No one and nothing is safe.

Eyes brimming with tears,

We look towards the sky and pray for rain.

Rain to revive us.

To wash away our pain,

To make us strong again.